Yadkin Riverkeeper sets sights on cleaner water

He may not have a badge, a siren or a weapon, but Dean Naujoks has a duty to enforce state and federal clean water laws and ensure the Yadkin River will be protected for generations to come.

BY SETH STRATTONThe Dispatch

He may not have a badge, a siren or a weapon, but Dean Naujoks has a duty to enforce state and federal clean water laws and ensure the Yadkin River will be protected for generations to come. Naujoks is the first riverkeeper for the Yadkin-Pee Dee rivers in North Carolina. He was hired in November to look after the 7,200-square-mile basin, the second largest in the state only to the Cape Fear River Basin. The Pennsylvania native and N.C. State University graduate took the water watchdog position in November after serving as the Upper Neuse Riverkeeper from 2001 to 2008. He led efforts to investigate contamination at a Raleigh sewage treatment plant in 2002, leading to civil and criminal charges and an investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency. He also has forced many wastewater permit holders to comply with the federal Clean Water Act and helped prevent more pollution from entering the Upper Neuse River and its basins by filing legal challenges. Naujoks, along with the Stanly County Board of Commissioners, the N.C. Water Rights Committee, lawmakers and others have questions and concerns over Alcoa Power Generating Inc.'s application for another 50-year operating license of its four hydroelectric projects on the river. Naujoks and others say Alcoa polluted parts of Badin Lake and want the company to clean up its mess. Some legislators have proposed taxing the company and setting up a state trust to manage the projects including the operation side. And recently, Gov. Beverly Perdue filed a motion to intervene in the relicensing process, saying that the reason for Alcoa to generate the power from the dams is gone. The company once employed more than 1,000 people in its smelting operations that produced aluminum. Although Naujoks' job requires him to take on big fish like Alcoa and other large cities and private companies that have polluted waterways or violated wastewater treatment permits, he also works to make sure people have access to rivers, creeks and lakes. “This water belongs to the public,” Naujoks said. “I'm here serving the public interest, to bring the citizens' voice to the table on clean water issues.”The Riverkeeper Alliance is a nonprofit organization that is supported by foundations, individuals and other groups. Naujoks and his staff of six built up a membership of more than 1,000 members with the Upper Neuse Riverkeeper group, and he hopes to build the Yadkin Riverkeeper association to the same level. The group now has about 200 members. His office is in Winston-Salem, and he hopes to open a satellite location in Salisbury. Most people don't realize that sedimentation is the top polluter of most rivers and creeks in the state, Naujoks said. Part of his job description will be to better protect waterways from stormwater runoff from construction sites, farms and other areas where sediment easily enters the water. He's organized and trained residents to keep a watchful eye on sedimentation areas through the Muddy Water Watch program, which he hopes to soon start in the Yadkin basin. Although some developers, corporations, utility providers and local governments may view Naujoks as their worst nightmare, he said he's there to protect a resource that belongs to every resident of North Carolina. “I do it because my daughter will need clean water,” Naujoks said. “Elected officials don't have to stand up to developers and tell them we need cleaner water for future generations.”Naujoks said cities and counties that have taken a proactive stance to make sure they provide clean water for their residents can promote that to people and businesses looking to move to their area. Naujoks said they have come to the realization that “good environmental policy makes good economic policy.”Raleigh's violations of its wastewater treatment plant cost the city $40 million to upgrade the facility, but he said the city's elected officials, especially Mayor Charles Meeker, knew they did the right thing to fix their pollution problems. Naujoks said he became a valuable resource when Meeker had a question about water quality, even having the mayor write him a letter of recommendation for his new job. He hopes to cultivate a similar relationship with the elected leaders in the Yadkin basin. “Those who we've confronted have recognized the need to (comply with clean water laws),” Naujoks said. “We can either pay now or pay more later.”Memberships to the group cost $25. For more information, log on to www.yadkinriverkeeper.org.

Seth Stratton can be reached at 249-3981, ext. 226 or seth.stratton@the-dispatch.com.